Exercise which work out your feet, calves and ankles are so important for dancers because:
- it increases calf, foot and ankle strength meaning you can dance for longer
- trains the foot and ankle to deal with large amount of pressure and strain lots of dancing can put on them, so helps to prevent injury
- works out the range of motion of the ankle and foot, so you can point your toes better and support your body weight on your toes easier
- improves your balance
- improves your control when moving, especially with things like turns
Options to try at home:
- calf raises
- calf raises in different positions (see ballet first position, second position etc)
- weighted calf raises
- point and flex with a theraban
- controlled lunges
Norwich Latin Dance 